Family

Mabel Effie Fort was a fair, curlley-haired, blue eyed baby.
Mabel and sister, Fay, went to school at the William or West PrairieSchool where all of her father's (Harrys') family had gone. Her folkslived here three years then moved to a farm between Breckenridge andMoorsville on farm rented, belonged to "Uncle" Jimmy Mann. Mabel and Fayattended the Hudgins School, a country school. Harold missed a lot ofschool. He had Malaria several times each year, was often sick. Theylived here two years the 1st year was pretty good but second so dry didnot raise feed for the stock, that was 1901. Harry made a trip back homeand bought a farm just west of his folks farm. Then Mabel and all theHarry Fort children attended the Dillon School a mile and a quarter allon mud roads. This was the last move Alice and Harry moved.
Mabel started to Hight School at Hamilton in fall of 1906. In fallof 1907 Fay and Mabel were attending school at Hamilton and Mabel quitafter two months and announced she was getting married in the spring.Although the family opposed it, she was married 30 March 1908, to GeorgeBebemeyer, son of a well-to-do farmer in the Kendall Chapelneighborhood. They lived with his parents, who later moved to Texas to afarm they owned, leaving George to manage the home place.
This marriage proved to be a stormy one. George was not willing togive up the freedom and dissapation of his unmarried days.
The Bebemeyer farm sold and Mabel and husband moved to Joplin, MO in1914, where he had an interest in a garage. Tom visited them in August1914 - Aunt Alice and Tellie visited in March 1914 - Alice and Harryvisited Mabel in March 1915.
Mabel Effie (Fort) Bebemeyer went to work for Watkins Grain Company,Kansas City, after finishing business school in the summer of 1921, wasworking in Kansas City in 1923.
Mabel visited friends in Phoenix and in Denver during her vacationfrom the office.